SHAH NAWAZ MOHAL
The Pakistan Railways spent Rs 1.720 billion in 2012-13 on policing alone. Despite spending such a huge amount, the PR admin could not get rid of encroachers and illegal occupants around the railway lines and railway land in all the four provinces.
According to documents available with Pakistan Today, the railway land worth Rs 14.413 billion remained under the illegal occupation and encroachments during the period from 2008 to 2013 alone. However, in the year 2012-2013 alone Rs 1.7 billion were spent on policing, a 96.78pc increase of Rs 874 million spent during the year 2007-2008. Almost the 100 per cent increase in policing budget failed to produce any positive results.
Railways Property and Land Department said that the Railways has successfully retrieved more than 5,000 acres of land from the encroachers during 6 year from 2008 to 2013. Back in January, 2014, the Pakistan Railways in a departmental reply to Audit Directorate General, Lahore admitted that 3032.82 acres of land was under illegal occupation over the entire network of Pakistan Railways. Furthermore, the reply stated that a comprehensive policy has been framed to prevent further encroachment under which the concerned railway/officials and railway police officials will be held responsible for any new encroachments in their respective areas. A standard operating procedure and joint procedure order have also been issued to ensure strict implementation of this policy.
The FIRs are being lodged and cases involving private individuals are being sent to railway judicial magistrate for trials. Despite the SOPs and JPO in place, lack of vigilance on Pakistan Railway’s part couldn’t put an end to new encroachments. Lack of joint efforts and collaboration between property & land and Railway Police IG is a major factor behind growth of encroachments.
